Note, from 2:1, that these people are not people outside of the church, they are “among us.” Yet from Revelation 21:2,27 we see that the Bride, at the final presentation, will be “beautifully adorned” and that nothing unclean, and no one who does what is abominable or lies will ever enter the city. What does this say for those people who are “spots and blemishes” on the Bride right now?

They will no longer be among us.

NOTE: You may want to refer to the parable of the wheat and tares (or weeds) found in Matthew 13:24-30 to see why these people are allowed to remain among us while we are still here on earth. That parable shows that we are not able to “pull the weeds” ourselves because we may uproot good plants that simply have not matured yet. It also shows that in the final judgment, God will uproot them and cast them out.

In 3:11-18, Peter explains “what kind of people we ought to be” in order to be “spotless” and “blameless.” He says we need to “live holy and godly lives” (v. 11).

And, much like Paul’s warning in 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, Peter warns us not to be “carried away by the error of these lawless men” (v. 17) and encourages us to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord …” (v. 18).

In 1 Timothy 6:3-20, what are we told to flee from and what are we told to pursue and keep “without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord”?

We are told to flee from false/unknowledgable teaching, conceit, controversies and quarrels, and the love of money.

We are told to pursue righteousness, godlinesss, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. We are instructed to “fight the good fight of faith” and take hold of the eternal life we received by our confession of faith.

Verse 18 gives three commands which would definitely make us more encouraging people if we obeyed them. What are they?

Do good

Be rich in good works

Be generous and willing to share

The book of Jude focuses largely on “certain men” (v. 4) who are “blemishes” (v. 12). Read Jude, a short book of only 27 verses, and note how often speech sins are listed as characteristics of these “blemishes.” List these speech related sins by filling in the following blanks:

8 – They “slander celestial beings.”

10 – They “… speak abusively against whatever they do not understand.”

15 – They speak “harsh words … against him [the Lord].”

16 – They are “grumblers and fault finders” … who “flatter others …”

As we focus on being encouraging, we must be careful to distinguish between “flattery” and truly edifying words. What wrong motivation lies behind the flattering words used by the “certain men” in Jude 16?

They seek to follow their own lusts (in other words, they flatter to get what they want from others) and to gain advantage.

Meditation

Think on the loving characteristics of Christ mentioned in Ephesians 5:22-33. Write down some for which you are particularly thankful.

Pray and ask God to help you be truthful with yourself as you answer the next few questions.

Ephesians 5:24 says the wife/bride must submit to Christ and the Word in order for the cleansing process to be effective. What Biblical teaching(s) might you have trouble obeying?

How well are you obeying the commands of 1 Timothy 6:18?

Are you having trouble with any speech sins? List any specific ones that come to mind.

Application

You could make a commitment to study God’s Word more so that you will not be deceived or led into error. That commitment might include going to a Sunday School class or Bible study more regularly. Or it could be that you’ll commit to finding a good study guide to do in your personal devotions. Write down possiblilites.

Choose one area where you could focus on being more obedient to the Word. Write it down.

If you were convicted by the meditation on 1 Timothy 6:18, what could you do to follow that command more?

Following the instructions in James 1:27, you could plan some kind of project, or support some existing project to help widows and/or orphans. Write down any ideas you have.

What speech sins might you want to commit to controlling?

Go through the suggestions at the end of the June devotion and note any that you might want to do.

Dedication

What do you specifically want to do in response to this month’s devotion?